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In My View By Phil Rising


Theboss

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SORRY but I cannot agree with most of that. As far as I am concerned all riders are vastly underpaid although that doesn't mean they can expect what isn't there. However, considering that most have to fund their own equipment and transport, face increasing insurance, know that every time they go to the tapes it could result in serious or even life-threatening injuries or worse and more often than not for a relative pittance earns my admiration. Without them there wouldn't be speedway and as we see now, fewer and fewer youngsters are coming through the ranks in places like Denmark and Sweden because a career in speedway simply isn't that attractive.

 

Your comments about brain surgeons is particularly insulting. I know of one young rider who can earn between £800 and £1000 a week as a plumber. He knows he will never be a World Champion but he loves speedway and tries desperately to combine the two. But it isn't easy and if he had to make a choice on purely financial reasons he would quit. One down and many more in a similar position.

In the news today ... electricians earning £156,000 a year. Plumbers close behind. Unless you actually want to be a brain surgeon, this seems to be a serious alternative for kids leaving school today.

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In the news today ... electricians earning £156,000 a year. Plumbers close behind. Unless you actually want to be a brain surgeon, this seems to be a serious alternative for kids leaving school today.

 

It says "up to" £156,000 and it would be interesting to know how many are bringing in £600 a day. That kind of money is achievable in most industries where workers are in demand.

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Strange how this thread has turned into 'Plumbers Weekly'.

And I cannot undertsand the relevance.

 

I just thought the laws of supply and demand have been understood for well over 200 years.

So hardly a necessary task for us here.

 

But now we have have established that those people who go into a trade that is in great demand and there is a lot of avalibale cash; can earn great money.

Which applies to some Plumbers in Britain.

 

Can we get back to the issue of people going into a trade that is not in great demand and there is not a lot of available cash..

Which applies to most Speedway Riders in Britain.

Edited by Grand Central
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...I'm in my fifties and don't regret for one minute not going to University.

 

Having worked in a University Department for 17 years I saw the process first hand.

I wish I had gone to university , In the 70s full student grants , living with a house full of mates ,great bands on the uni circuit , the education side of it ,

just enough to keep me in for the 3 years ,,

I wish I had gone to university , In the 70s full student grants , living with a house full of mates ,great bands on the uni circuit , the education side of it ,

just enough to keep me in for the 3 years ,,

I , like Phillip Rising have just enough education to perform , Whoosh straight over his head

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How many clubs have actually gone bust in the traditional sense - as in run out of money and stopped trading? As far as I can tell, there is always another generous benefactor prepared to step in and have a stab at running the club when the previous promoter leaves.

 

All the clubs who have closed in recent memory have done so due to losing their venue, Reading, Oxford, Coventry... Of course, you could argue that running a club sustainability may have helped, particularly in Oxford's case, but this seems like a minor factor in thr grand scheme of things.

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How many clubs have actually gone bust in the traditional sense - as in run out of money and stopped trading? As far as I can tell, there is always another generous benefactor prepared to step in and have a stab at running the club when the previous promoter leaves.

 

All the clubs who have closed in recent memory have done so due to losing their venue, Reading, Oxford, Coventry... Of course, you could argue that running a club sustainability may have helped, particularly in Oxford's case, but this seems like a minor factor in thr grand scheme of things.

 

Hasn't the reason the 'previous promoter leaves' been because he has lost too much money to continue ?

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True, but isn't that part and parcel of being a promoter?

 

Indeed it is.

But I think there are many people involved in promotions who have left having suffered a fair degree of pain and loss (especially in their final year or two) that has been funded by their outside businesses as the Speedway business could not be described as viable in its own right,

The rules of the sport and the bond with the BSPA tends to make sure that they get a gullible buyer with cash to blow on the sport to take over before anyone actually goes bust.

And the cycle continues.

 

Of course the Sky money made a big difference.

Making some financial decision look sane when they were quite the opposite.

The reality of life without that windfall could make the 'clubs going bust' numbers increase markedly.

Unless they get a grip this winter.

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How many clubs have actually gone bust in the traditional sense - as in run out of money and stopped trading? As far as I can tell, there is always another generous benefactor prepared to step in and have a stab at running the club when the previous promoter leaves.

 

All the clubs who have closed in recent memory have done so due to losing their venue, Reading, Oxford, Coventry... Of course, you could argue that running a club sustainability may have helped, particularly in Oxford's case, but this seems like a minor factor in thr grand scheme of things.

Didn't Oxford under Waggy go bust, and new promoters in the shape of the Purchases take over as a new company.

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Didn't Oxford under Waggy go bust, and new promoters in the shape of the Purchases take over as a new company.

It was the other way round.

 

Steve and Vanessa sold the promoting rights to Waggy however I'm not sure if anybody went under although I may be wrong.

 

All I known is that Steve became very disillusioned with the sport and Vanessa more or less took over the day to day running of the club.

 

After Waggy came that Poole supporter whose name totally escapes me!

Edited by steve roberts
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It was the other way round.

 

Steve and Vanessa sold the promoting rights to Waggy however I'm not sure if anybody went under although I may be wrong.

 

All I known is that Steve became very disillusioned with the sport and Vanessa more or less took over the day to day running of the club.

 

After Waggy came that Poole supporter whose name totally escapes me!

Aaron Lanney

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Aaron Lanney

That's the one!

 

Signed up Tony Rickardsson who left after only a few meetings...think that it was the year he retired?

 

Todd Wiltshire was signed as his replacement and things became bitter the following season between Todd, Lanney and Horton...something over bikes I recall.

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Trump took over the junior team and wanted to run it the following year (I don't know if his plan was to run Elite League as well), but by that time the stadium owners had had enough and said no.

They increased the rent and Trump said it wasn't sustainable. I spoke to another promoter a few months later who said he thought Oxford would've already been paying more than what the GRA had increased the rent too Edited by Triple.H.
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